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Model Towner setting the bar in Strongman events

A small-town boy is making big waves in the world of Strongman competitions. Kapuskasing’s Maxime Boudreault (who recently moved to Timmins) set two national Strongman records at the “Championate Records Canadien Festivalma 2017”.

Boudreault set a new Canadian benchmarks for the log press and the keg toss.

Asked if he had any idea he could eclipse the previous records, Boudreault was very assured in his response.

“I was going there to get those two records,” he commented. “I actually feel like I had more in me, but I didn’t want to take the chance of missing, so I pressed enough to get the records and now I can try to break my own.”

The 25-year-old strongman recounted the origins of his love of weight lifting.

“I started lifting weights in my last year of high school and started doing Strongman competitions in 2011,” explained Boudreault. “I was a small guy in high school so I was too shy to go to the gym. A friend of mine had equipment in his garage and that’s how I got started.

“I fell in love with it right away because it was a challenge and I’m a very competitive person. He was in college, so every time he came home, I was gaging my progress by trying to keep up with him.”

So what fuels his desire to compete, to try to be the best?

“My mother,” he said simply. “She recently passed away from cancer and I watched her fight for her life every day. That’s the mindset I put myself in everyday when I train.”

Boudreault started in bodybuilding, but decided to switch lanes to power events and says he’s not likely to participate in many more competitions in his former disciplined.

“The two aren’t usually mixed because it is a completely different diet for each and to try to do both is counterproductive.

Boudreault now owns his own gym in Timmins, where he conducts his training for all 16 events that compose a Strongman competition.

“I got all of my gear there like kegs and the log etc.” he explained. “You’ve can’t train for this using only bars and weights because every event is different. It’s more fun than straight powerlifting, but also requires some pretty unique training techniques.”

In addition to wanting to break the two records he just set, Boudreault said he must also dedicate a significant amount of time to improving in his weaker events.

“We’re scored on a point system in every event so if you’ve got one or two big holes in your game, you can get pushed down in the standings quickly and significantly,” he explained.

Boudreault has now set his sights on the provincial championships on July 1, and the national championships on September 16-17. In between those two competitions, he will participate in a World Strongman Championship qualifier on July 29.

Look to future editions of The Times for updates on Boudreault’s exploits.